Genuine question - why do some people have a problem with the grammar school system thread 2

[octopusinastringbag]

Original thread full so here goes.

I think the people who are concerned about aspirational/non-aspirational need to trust their DCs to select friends who are like minded. Generally it is my experience that they find their own groups who are similar to them, especially with setting and especially once the GCSEs have started.

We only have two private secondaries in our area and non-selective so no impact on results.

In the last episode of Educating Yorkshire there was a girl called Hannah.
She was a bit of a handful but obviously bright. Hannah was not achieving
her potential because she is the type who just does enough when she has to. Hannah ended up with 9 A-C grades despite probably not working very hard or to her potential. Hannah is betrayed by schools like Thornhill and their ilk because that is what is normal. Hannah is the type of pupil who needs selective education much more than the 2% super intelligent types.

Coming to the discussion late but feel strongly enough to contribute....
Undoubtedly there are some fantastic 'comprehensive' schools in England and my friends and relations have DC at some of them. However these DC go to schools in Guildford, St Albans, Godalming, Cheltenham etc - some of the most desirable places to live in the country. Their parents were educated at grammar schools or private schools themselves, many have university degrees and some of them have paid for tutors to boost exam results. Are their DC really getting a 'comprehensive' education? I don't think they are - it's just 'selective' education in disguise (by wealth or faith) with some lucky 'outliers' brought along for the ride. Indeed, the Sutton Trust published a report in June this year which stated that, ' the top 500 comprehensives have a proportion of children eligible for free school meals that is less than half the national average - more importantly, they also have half the average for their own local authority area.... many of the schools are exercising a form of social selection.' The report did identify that there were some exceptions but they numbered only 1 in 10 of the top 500 comps. If you're interested, take a look at the website for the top performing comp in Cheltenham (a clue - it begins with a B), go onto the 'Welcome' page and then 'Videos' on the right - the delightful Year 7s
at this school are a world away from the children on Educating Yorkshire. Are comprehensive schools a good alternative to the grammars? Well, 'Yes' - if you live in the right area!

It says it all

There's another interesting report here, from The Guardian which looks at how much harder it is for poorer children to access selective grammar schools. It also points to the high number of children coming from independent schools, and the high percentage coming from affluent homes.

It's not surprising given that by 2 children living in poverty are already falling behind.

What about the kids just above fsm or in the stretched middle who can't afford to tutor and have kids stuck in shite primaries - do these not count?